OnePlus to abandon Dash Charge in favor of Warp Charge, filing suggests

OnePlus has applied for a new fast charging trademark following its struggles to secure the Dash Charge name. According to Mobielkopen (translated version), the company has filed an application for the name “Warp Charge” in Europe.

The EUIPO filing reveals the name would be used for “data cables; power adapters; cell phone battery chargers; electrical adapters; batteries, electric; chargers for electric batteries; wireless chargers.” So it pretty much covers the entire lineup of chargers and charging accessories.

The Chinese brand has used the Dash Charge name for its fast-charging technology since 2016’s OnePlus 3. But the company lost its application to use the name in Europe earlier this year after Amazon and audio company Bragi opposed the bid. The two companies each have their own Dash-themed products — Amazon has its Dash Buttons and Bragi has its Dash range of wireless headsets.

The trademark issue meant the firm didn’t use the Dash Charge name during the OnePlus 6 global launch back in May. However, the company mentioned the old name during its Indian launch event. Furthermore, it was discovered that charging cables on the European and U.S. OnePlus websites were renamed to “fast charging cables,” while the Indian website kept the old name.

OnePlus was still allowed to use the Dash Charge name outside Europe, but it’s evidently opted for a rebranding anyway. There’s still a chance the new application could be denied, but the firm probably did its research to make sure there are no similar Warp Charge products or trademarks.

Dash/Warp Charge is a licensed take on OPPO’s VOOC charging system, which was implemented way back in 2014. OPPO has retained VOOC charging for the Find X flagship, but the Lamborghini Edition variant uses faster SuperVOOC charging instead. The latter solution promises to charge a 3,400mAh battery in just 35 minutes — hopefully, OnePlus is eyeing this technology for future flagships.